PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S (PEACE AND BLESSINGS ON HIM) NAME IN THE BIBLE

The Messenger of Allah’s (Allah bless him & give him peace) name being Ahyed/Uhayd in the Towra

There is a Hadith that says: “God’s Messenger himself said: My name in the Qur’an is Muhammad, in the Bible Ahmad, and in the Torah Ahyed.”

Please let us know whether this statement is authentic or not. If it is, then please explain the meanings of the three names mentioned therein. Lastly, would you advise naming a child Ahyed based on the above statement?

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

The renowned Maliki scholar, Qadhi Iyadh (may Allah have mercy on him) mentions the name “Uhayd” in his book Al-Shifa’ saying:

“And his (Allah bless him & give him peace) name is also Uhayd as mentioned in the Towra.” (Al-Shifa’ bi Ta’rif Huquq al-Mustafa, P: 293)

The great scholar of Hadith, Mulla Ali al-Qari (may Allah have mercy on him) comments on this, citing the narration and its source. He states:

“Abu Hudhayfa Ishaq ibn Bishr mentions [this narration] in his book Al-Mubtada’ with a chain of narration (isnad) reaching Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “My name in the Qur’an is Muhammad, in the bible Ahmed, and in the Towra Uhayd.” He said: “I am named Uhayd because I will distance my nation far away from the fire of hell on the day of Judgement.” (Sharh al-Shifa 1/503)

A similar narration is found in Kanz al-Ummal with the words:

“….. My name in the Qur’an is Muhammad, in the bible Ahmed and in the Towra Uhayd, and I have been named Uhayd because I will distance my nation away from hell.” (Kanz al-Ummal no: 1021)

The first name “Muhammad” comes from the root word “madaha” which literally means to praise. Therefore, Muhammad would mean the oft-praised one.

The second name “Ahmed” also comes from the same root word as Muhammad, but it holds two different meanings. He (Allah bless him & give him peace) is the one who praises Allah the most, and he is the one who is praised the most (of creation).

The above two names have been mentioned in the Qur’an and many rigorously authenticated narrations (hadiths), hence there is no question of their authenticity. One should most definitely name their children with these names.

The third name mentioned can be pronounced in a number of ways as Mulla Ali al-Qari states in his commentary of Al-Shifa:

1) Uhayd
2) Ahyid
3) Uhid
4) Uhyed (See: Sharh al-Shifa’ 1/503)

Shaykh Abdullah al-Lahji (may Allah have mercy on him) mentions in his Kitab Muntaha al-Sul ala Wasa’il al-Wusul that the most common pronunciation is Ahyed. (Kitab Muntaha al-Sul 1/155)

This name comes from the root word “Daha” which literally means to leave, give up or swerve away. So the name would mean: he who distances something from another or he who gets something far away from another. As mentioned above in the narrations, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) is given this name because he will distance his nation from the fire of hell. (See: Kitab Muntaha al-Sul 1/155)

It should be noted, however, that the authenticity of this narration is questionable, and the scholars of Hadith have doubted its verification as a narration from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). Shaykh Muhammad Tahir al-Hindi (may Allah have mercy on him) has listed this narration as fabricated (mawdu’). He states:

“In the chain of narration [of this report] is Ishaq who is a liar and fabricator.” (Tadhkira al-Mawdu’at P: 86)

As such, the narration regarding this name is fabricated according to some scholars of Hadith, and no such statement can be categorically proven from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). Hence, one may keep this name, since it has a good and pleasant meaning. However, one should avoid considering this name to be firmly established from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace).